


Where Can I Get It Back?

by EagleJD



Category: Twenty One Pilots
Genre: Alternate Universe, Fluff, Humor, Love/Hate, M/M, Slash, joshler - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-09
Updated: 2019-02-09
Packaged: 2019-10-25 06:27:11
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,216
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17719865
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EagleJD/pseuds/EagleJD
Summary: Josh is a drummer in a local punk band. Tyler wants to meet him in person so bad. And fate gives him a chance.





	Where Can I Get It Back?

**Author's Note:**

  * For [olgushka](https://archiveofourown.org/users/olgushka/gifts).



Tyler is obsessed with Josh Dun. Kinda. Well, he prefers to call it _highly interested_. He's been into House of Heroes for two years now and knows every band member's biography better than his own. Joseph knows the lyrics of every song and every damn phrase Josh said in their interviews. Unlike any other fan, he doesn't glorify the lead singer because it's the drummer who is pure inspiration, hope, and shelter for him. He's a powerful source of energy that ignites his soul. He's everything Tyler has ever wanted to be.

Josh Dun is the reason why Tyler broke up with his girlfriend. He's also the reason why his friends and family want Tyler to find something better to do.

 

_That's not okay._

_Just live your life, dude._

_This Josh is just a random guy._

_You need to see a doctor. Your obsession is going out of control._

 

He hears it over and over again. All these worries and _"I just want the best for you"_ have come to the point when he doesn't care. Not anymore. Even if he's crazy, everyone should mind their own business. He doesn't need help. He doesn't need their precious advice. He needs Josh fucking Dun.

The day that turns his world upside down is when House of Heroes announce their show in The Basement. He can't sleep. He can't eat. He can't even properly breathe. It's been a while since his favorite band has performed in Columbus. Tyler knew they were currently on tour somewhere in Arizona so this unplanned show turned out to be a big surprise for everybody.

Of course, Joseph is one of the first among fans to buy a ticket. And he's the first one to stand in a line on the day of the show. Tyler is on the verge of passing out when he sees a black van disappearing around the corner. He hears the crowd cheering, and he screams with other people in spite of his shaking voice. They're here. Back to their hometown.

They're in. It's hot and stuffy. The crowd is restless. Some guys are just high but the majority of people are too excited for the show. When the band appears on stage, Tyler screams his lungs out and jumps with his hands up in the air along with other fans.

Music penetrates his soul and mind in a split second. Tyler is levitating. The beat is in his chest while his heart is pounding in his temples. He feels alive. He sings along his favorite lyrics, forgetting how to breathe.

There's one part of the show he likes the most. Joshua fucking Dun in the pit. The crowd makes way for the drum platform, forming a small circle around it to be as close to Josh as possible. This time Tyler is right behind his back. He’s watching him hungrily. Tensed muscles, beads of sweat, freckled shoulders, wild energy. He's handsome. Genuinely handsome. Tyler chokes on his saliva and starts jumping once the drum solo begins. The crowd goes wild and at some point security guys lose control of the situation. This is the last song and Josh wants to play it till the end but the security drags him away from the crowd. The next thing Tyler is able to process is him clenching Josh's snapback in his hands. He's not sure what happened. He just tried to protect Josh from crazy fans with a couple of other guys.

The next week turns out to be really difficult for Tyler. There's Josh's snapback in his room and he should be happy about it. However, a quiet voice in his head keeps whispering that he must give it back.

 

_It's not fair._

_You know it's his favorite snapback._

_Remember that interview when Josh was sharing a touching story related to this snapback?_

_Bet you wouldn't like it if somebody had taken your ukulele without permission._

_You're a shitty person. Just give it back. Do it._

 

Tyler gives up. It's Friday and he's on Twitter, scrolling down his feed. Finally, he goes to Josh's account and decides to write him a short message in the comment section right under his last post.

**_Hey @joshuadun I've got your snapback._ **

This is so stupid. He won't even respond. Tyler blocks his iPhone and throws it on the couch. He'd better go make a sandwich because the sound of a dying whale inside his stomach is not a good sign. A second later his phone comes alive, alerting about a new notification. Fuck.

**_@tylerrjoseph our show in the Basement was pretty crazy. Thought I've lost it forever. So, where can I get it back?_ **

Tyler stares at the screen, rereading Josh's answer over and over again. It can't be happening, right? It's just his wild imagination.

He offers to bring Josh's snapback to their next show or just send it to him but Mr. Dun offers Tyler to meet in person, grab a coffee and talk. This is insane. Tyler agrees instantly and can't get a wink of sleep till the next Monday. His dream is about to come true. Tyler has never been so lucky in his life, so is there anything he should worry about?

***

Tyler thinks that Josh is the biggest dick he’s ever met. Well, technically he's not even met yet. He’s been waiting for the drummer for almost an hour, nervously tapping his fingers on the table. This is not how nice guys do. This is not how _his Josh_ would do.

Tyler feels the waiter’s eyes on him. Probably that guy thinks that he’s a loser. A failed Tinder date? Just a prank victim? Whatever. If Josh-freaking-hot-Dun doesn’t show up in five minutes, he’ll leave. Yeah, celebrities are hella busy people: parties, interviews, charity stuff and so on. But it was Josh who offered this particular day and time, saying that he'll be completely free. Even if there was a sudden change of plans, is it so hard to call or send a message? Or ordinary people don't deserve a respectful attitude? Five more minutes and he'll be done.

It seems like someone up above hears his thoughts because Tyler has no other explanation as to why Josh comes up to his table two minutes later.

“It’s 8:43.”

“Yeah? Thanks… But I didn’t ask what time it is, did I?”

“You’re late. You were supposed to be here like forty minutes ago.” This is not how people usually meet their celebrity crushes but right now Tyler is so pissed that he's ready to kick Josh's balls.

“Really? I thought I came ten minutes late or so.” Josh shrugs, taking off his denim jacket to take his seat opposite Tyler.

“I thought people don’t come this late when they want to get their stuff back.”

"You're so irritated, babe. When was the last time you had sex?"

Tyler blushes, not really expecting this kind of question. He blinks several times and decides to change the subject.

"Ten and forty minutes are not the same."

"Can't tell any difference."

“Honestly, why are you so bad at math?”

“I’m a drummer. I can’t count past four.”

Tyler is speechless. He can't believe that that nice, sweet guy from House of Heroes turned out to be such an asshole in real life.

"Okay, you know what? Here you go." Tyler takes out Josh's snapback out of his bag and throws it on the table. "You're welcome _very much_. Have a nice evening or whatever." He stands up and wants to leave but Josh grabs his hand and clenches his fingers around Tyler's wrist.

"Come sit down, dude. Don't be such a drama queen." Josh's voice is soft and soothing, and that's when he resembles most that sunny drummer on the stage Tyler fell in love with.

"What's wrong with you? Is it like... Are you tired of being nice and sweet to your fans, so now you decided to spill all your inner shit while nobody sees? Well, obviously no one will believe me and-"

"I like you."

"Whaaat..." Tyler stares at Josh with his mouth wide open, trying to figure out what he has just heard.

"You got it right. I like you. Or do you think we don't notice people in the crowd who attend every single show? We're not that famous, you know. We have our people. We know who is on the same side."

"Are you messing with me?"

"I'm being completely honest."

"Right."

"I'm grateful that you decided to give back my favorite snapback because it means a lot to me. Other fans would probably keep it."

"At first I wanted to do the same."

"Why did you change your mind?"

"I know that this snapback is more important to you than to any of us."

"I appreciate it. Really."

"That's why you behave like a complete asshole?"

Josh smirks, tilting his head a bit to the right side, carefully scanning Tyler. Joseph mirrors his actions. For a couple of minutes they sit in silence but then Josh's phone starts ringing.

"What's up?" Josh picks up the phone with a smile. "Naah, dude, sorry. I can't. I'm a little bit busy right now. Yeah, like on a date."

Tyler coughs, quickly covering his mouth with his hand. What the hell is going on? Josh's mind is more fucked up than his own. It seems like he's talking to two Joshs at the same time: a sweet one and his evil twin.

"I'll call you back. Need some private space, you know. Yeah. Fuck you too." He laughs and blocks his phone, putting it in his pocket.

"Like on a date, huh?"

"Well, it's obviously not a business meeting. We're not friends. But you're cute. Especially with those pinky cheeks." Josh gives Tyler a charming smile, licking his lips. He looks like a predator, sophisticated and powerful.

"Shut up."

"So you're straight as hell?"

"It's none of your business."

"Then the answer is no. Come on, dude. You need to chill. Let's give this meeting a second chance." Josh stretches out his hand, looking straight into Tyler's eyes. "Hi. I'm Josh. Josh Dun. Sorry for making you wait. And thanks for bringing back my favorite snapback."

Tyler squints his eyes. He hesitates. Josh's hand is still right there, waiting for a handshake. Now he seems suspiciously nice, the way Tyler imagined him to be in the first place but then unexpectedly got slapped in the face with the douchebag version of Josh Dun.

"Hi. I'm Tyler."

"Good job." Josh cheers him and shakes Tyler's hand. "Nice to meet you, man. How about making an order? What do you like? Pick anything, it's on me."

"That's really sweet but... I mean, why?"

"What?"

"I don't understand what's going on. You're forty minutes late. Then you shift to an asshole mode. And now you're pretending like we're on a date or something. What's the fucking point?"

"Look, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be an asshole, okay? It's just sometimes I have this weird sense of humor and it's hard to explain... I-"

"You don't have to. You owe me nothing. This meeting has accomplished its goal. You've got back your snapback. So I'll probably go." Tyler stands up, grabs his bag and rushes to the exit. His heart is pounding frantically. He's disappointed? It's not the right word to describe what he feels. It's more like he's empty. He had high hopes for this meeting but it went totally wrong. Josh is not that Josh Tyler pictured in his head.

Yes, his mom, dad, Zack, Mark and everyone else were right. He has fallen in love with an ideal image, not a real person. Tyler shouldn't have even done that. Come to think of it, how many fans ended up being with their celebrity crushes? Not many. How many of them are happy and still together? The answer is closer to none.

"You have to love art, not its creators." Tyler mumbles to himself, hiding his hands in his pockets and taking a deep breath of fresh air.

"What if creators want to be as perfect as their art not to disappoint those who believe in them?"

Tyler shudders. He turns around only to see Josh with pinkish cheeks, breathing heavily.  

"I thought assholes don't know what a verb _'to disappoint'_ means." Tyler tries to hide his smile.

"We know. We do know. And we- I mean, I'll do my best to _appoint_ you."

"Appoint me?"

"Yeah, like without a prefix 'dis', you know." Josh puts on his snapback, stretching out his hand with a pointed pinky.

"Pinky promise, huh?" Now Tyler is beaming, interlocking their pinkies together, and a second later Josh gives him his special bear hugs, whispering into his ear _"pinky promise, my dude."_

_***_

_That's not okay._ **I'm fine with being not okay.**

 _Just live your life, dude._ **Oh, believe me, I live my life to the fullest.**

 _This Josh is just a random guy._ **This Josh is the guy who saved my life. And, by the way, he's a great hugger.**

 _You need to see a doctor. Your obsession is going out of control._ **My obsession is my passion. And they say people with great passion can make the impossible happen.**

**Author's Note:**

> Special THANKS to OtherCrazyThing for ensuring my fic is nice and readable. YOU ROCK (つ ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)つ Don't forget to check out her awesome works if you stan joshler or ryden
> 
> P.S. Sorry for any spelling/grammar mistakes. English is not my native language.
> 
> P.S. [2] Olgushka, thanks for getting me out of my comfort zone and making me write in English. Guess it's not our last challenge ♥


End file.
